Local Blogs

About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in jo... (More)

About this blog: I am a perpetually hungry twenty-something journalist, born and raised in Menlo Park and currently working at the Palo Alto Weekly as education and youth staff writer. I graduated from USC with a major in Spanish and a minor in journalism. Though my first love is journalism, food is a close second. I am constantly on the lookout for new restaurants to try, building an ever-expanding "to eat" list. As a journalist, I'm always trolling news sources and social media websites with an eye for local food news, from restaurant openings and closings to emerging food trends. When I was a teenager growing up in Menlo Park, I always drove up to the city on weekends with the singular purpose of finding a better meal than I could at home. But in the past year or so, the Peninsula's food culture has been totally transformed, with many new restaurants opening and a continuous stream of San Francisco restaurants coming south to open Peninsula outposts. Don't navigate this food boom hungry and alone! Feed me your tips on new chefs and eats and together we'll share them with the broader community. (Hide)

Redwood City's Woodside Deli undergoes remodel

Uploaded: May 30, 2018

The first day Kyle Vogel was officially the new owner of local sandwich standby Woodside Deli, the county health department conducted a surprise, coincidental inspection. He was informed that the 1453 Woodside Road deli, which Dan Galinetti opened in 1958, needed to be brought up to code.

Vogel closed the deli temporarily in late January to make the necessary upgrades and other cosmetic changes. The space is still under construction but he hopes to reopen soon.

There will be new bathrooms, indoor seating, wiring, plumbing and parking lot, but the sandwich menu will not change. The deli will continue to make sausage, deli meats and prepared foods in house. There will be a slightly smaller selection of imported Italian products to make room for the seating.

"The look and feel will be a little different … but it will be at heart the exact same deal," Vogel said.

Vogel, an East Coast native and frequent Woodside Deli customer, bought the deli last spring when Galinetti decided to retire. He describing owning a deli as his "dream that would not die."

Vogel was introduced to Woodside Deli while working for a meal-prep company in Menlo Park years ago. He was craving a quality Italian sub and found the deli to be "everything I was used to from the East Coast."

Years later, when thinking about what he wanted to do professionally, Vogel decided to work there in preparation for opening his own deli. He and Galinetti struck a deal when the longtime owner decided to retire.

Vogel has been frustrated by the pace of the remodel, which has been set back by several delays, and repeatedly thanked loyal customers for their patience.

"It's a delay …but it is only a delay and we will absolutely be back and it will be great," he said.

For updates on the deli's progress and reopening, check the Woodside Deli Facebook page.

Posted by Hungry Neighbor,
a resident of Woodside High School,
on May 30, 2018 at 7:25 pm

This seems to be a shakedown for the new owner and a decades long free pass for the previous owner for neglecting appropriate updates to the business. I can't believe for a second that it was a coincidence that an inspection took place on the first day of new ownership.

Posted by Iam Hungrytoo,
a resident of Woodside High School,
on May 30, 2018 at 7:39 pm

I agree with Hungry Neighbor!

This seems a remarkable coincidence, the ownership changes hands and then the regulators pour in? I hope the new owner can handle the financial burden of this hardship. We in mid RWC need more local business and food options, not fewer. Let's not make it too hard on small business owners. Perhaps a provisional license ? What about the employees - are they out of work while we wait for toilets to be installed in a pickup sandwich spot ? Ridiculous!

Posted by neighbor,
a resident of another community,
on May 31, 2018 at 12:00 pm

I started this thread because I'm also frustrated about the delays.....but I want to nip the latest direction that the discussion is going in the bud. There is no zoning shakedown, no plot. It's just bureaucracy.

There's nothing odd about new ownership triggering compliance with current regs. Hence the disabled parking upgrade. And, personally I WANT toilets and faucets for both the employees and customers to get installed!!

Additional regs come into play when a market adds sit-down dining. They are primarily health & safety regs.I wonder whether the owner could have applied for permits before he closed, and then closed when he got the go-ahead for the project. Given the condition of the place, that might not have been possible.

I love this deli -- but want it to be up to code. I have memories of leaky pipes dripping into the food bins and unreliable refrigeration. Woodside Deli needed an update. It'll come back better than ever.

Like all of the other writers I LOVE WOODSIDE DELI......there is no conspiracy to keep it closed. Meanwhile, we can nag the zoning folks to approve the project.

Posted by A,
a resident of Woodside High School,
on May 31, 2018 at 9:44 pm

Sounds like this guy has it coming to him sooner or later. Blaming others for his problems. Let's not get it twisted here- this new schmuck ain't the reason we all love WSD. No conspiracies here at all, when the deli leased for all those years- with the original owner...they were under some very long term leases. No new lease or change in ownership would not call for a HD visit. When Kylie purchased the business - and NOT the land- this brought the city, and county officials to be aware of a well known established business that had been grandfathered in to passes on a lot of things in the past... directly to their desk. Of course he got a visit. Of course he could have stayed open until he got approval on permits (once the immediates were checked off). All these fake cheesy comments of the new owner on every social media site from “customers" . This guy won't last In the general public's view with this attitude towards those he purchased not only their store but their once well known fame around town. Getting rid of grocery for seating? While your “waiting on permits" ... How about you get another one for an OUTDOOR SEATING AREA. Cry all you want; but you bought a gem, Sir. You started the defamation yourself.

Posted by neighbor,
a resident of another community,
on May 31, 2018 at 10:29 pm

I'm not surprised -- in this current sick and rancid political climate -- at the hostile comments on this thread, but they really are irritating and disappointing.

I'm not a "customer" -- I'm a real 20-year customer. I, and a lot of other loyal Woodside Deli customers definitely see the need for improvements to this property and we hope the new owner gets his permits asap. We hope our support is noticed by the zoning officials and wish the owner luck.

Posted by ParkingLotTroll,
a resident of Woodside: other,
on Jun 1, 2018 at 6:17 am

Its seems that some follow up in regards to Building Code was not done by the New "Bussiness" Owner. In regards to "Surprise Inspections" by the City just to harass the new owner, seems contrived and the reaction of a conspiracy theorist. What it really boils down to is simply a Bad Business Decision.

Posted by ParkingLotTroll,
a resident of Woodside: other,
on Jun 1, 2018 at 8:58 am

I will say i also hope that all required permits are granted for this establishment. The neighborhood may lack a deli for the local hungry hippo's which should not be the only motivating factor. There is also fact that there are hardworking individuals which made Woodside Deli what it was, who are currently unemployed. Lets also not forget, that the local government is in place to ensure, not to conspire against business owners, so that the neighborhood doesn't get burned down or worse. PG&E/San Bruno ring any bells?
Woodside Deli will never again have that warm feeling of a Family owned establishment that Mr. Gallinetti created. His years of hard work, passion and genuine compassion for others afforded him the opportunity to raise a loving family, create lifelong relationships, and make people feel loved, through their bellies. He is missed, but he is Happy. Mr. Vogel, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor, and I'm sure you will succeed. If you will, my unwarranted advice would be this: Don't fix what isn't broken. Once again Good Luck.

Posted by neighbor,
a resident of another community,
on Jun 1, 2018 at 9:46 am

Woodside Deli's food was and will continue to be DELISH when the remodeling is finished. Everyone will continue to patronize Woodside Del when it reopens .....except (maybe) the few grumbling conspiracy theorists on this thread.

AGAIN -- in ANY construction project there are awful delays, this project was poorly planed BUT THERE IS NO PLOT FROM THE GOVERNMENT OR THE PROPERTY OWNER. When the ownership changed it triggered the current fixes, just as these sales always do.

AGAIN -- A lot was broken. Our beloved deli flooded repeatedly, the parking was awful and out of compliance with ADA, the refrigerators failed periodically, there were no bathrooms, etc. The former & the new owner, the mortgage folks & the zoning folks all knew this.

BUT it's a FOOD FACILITY, the fixes were required -- the delays are a snafu BUT NOT A PLOT. Geez!

Posted by Julie,
a resident of Woodside: other,
on Jun 4, 2018 at 7:36 pm

have been a customer of Woodside Deli since the 70's. My memories are deep of the wonderful deli, the "deli smell" as you walk in, smiles from the employees and personalized service. If I was making a special Italian recipe they would always give me the right advice. I had them cater to my mothers funeral years back and can always rely on them. I'm sure once everything settles and it's up and running we'll all enjoy it again. I know remodeling always has unexpected setbacks from experience. Keep the tradition the same. Hire those that CARE is the key Mr. Vogel. Looking forward to the experience :)

Posted by Scott in RC,
a resident of Menlo Park,
on Jun 5, 2018 at 4:55 pm

What is A talking about? It doesn't sound like Kyle is blaming anyone but his misunderstanding of the bureaucratic process to do a significant upgrade to an older food business. In his defense, I know that WD was beset with governmental stupidity when, following a food poisoning incident NOT involving WD, a county health inspector made them throw out at least one very expensive imported whole leg of prosciutto di parma because it isn't cooked (it's dry-cured and perfectly safe to eat); to ensure WD did not try to retrieve the prosciutto, the inspector ordered her minions to slash the leg and pour bleach over it. A fine example of local government hurting small business because of an ignorant and incompetent employee. Of course that is not to say that the building inspectors are acting improperly. Good luck Kyle. I can't wait for the re-opening!

Posted by Hank Lawrence,
a resident of Menlo Park,
on Jun 18, 2018 at 2:59 pm

I love that place. I started going to the Woodside Deli when Gail Slocum was a Republican. Great Prosciutto di Parma, Great Parmesano Reggiano, fabulous meatballs and pasta salad. All it needs now is to open.

Posted by Hank Lawrence,
a resident of Menlo Park,
on Jun 19, 2018 at 9:58 am

I received this e-mail from Kyle Vogel last night

No date, but there is good news: our permits were approved last week, and we're getting back to work on the actual construction. I've been told a month or so of banging ... but clearly I've been burned before by date estimates.